


One Fish Two Fish, "I Love You" Fish

by dreamcp



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: FireRed & LeafGreen | Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen Versions
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Slow Build, gameverse, i write far too many au fics someone stop me, merman green
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 09:09:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8439784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamcp/pseuds/dreamcp
Summary: Once upon a time, Red found a friend.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm back, and nearly dead, and both of those are because of last Tuesday. A Pokemon trailer AND the KH 0.2 opening in the same day nearly ended me; I'm so excited for both games. And speaking of Pokemon, my Kanto sons are coming back, and I had to celebrate. Thanks for reading!

Red giggled as he chased the Pidgey through the grass south of his home. The bird squawked in fear as it flitted back and forth to avoid his grabby hands. But Red was undeterred. He refused to give up; he’d get his very own Pokémon, no matter what his mom said about him being too young. He was five, that was halfway to ten already!

The Pidgey turned sharply, and Red attempted to follow. But his foot slipped, and before he knew it he was tumbling sideways into the water. Panic swelled inside him as he struggled to get back to the surface. His mom hadn’t taught him to swim yet, and Red quickly sunk beneath the water. He flailed and coughed as water filled his lungs. There was nothing he could do.

Red’s sight started to fade out and he closed his eyes. His body was too heavy to move. He heard a surprised noise, and felt a light touch on his arm before he lost consciousness.

The next thing Red knew, he was coughing up water on land. His limbs felt weak, but he managed to roll over on his side, then his stomach, supporting his body with his arms. His lungs burned, and Red gasped for air.

Maybe his mom had been onto something with that whole “carefulness” thing.

With death apparently kept at bay, Red was left to wonder how he’d ended up back on land. He turned to look back at the water and scanned it for any sign of a Pokémon or—

His heart nearly stopped, Red swore it. When he looked out at the water, he locked eyes with someone. A boy, hiding behind a rock some distance out. He had bright green eyes and brown hair. And a tail.

Red’s eyes widened, and he rubbed at them vigorously. But when he rose his eyes to the rock again, the boy was gone. He stared long and hard at the water, not stopping even when his mother came out of the house and fussed over him, telling him off and wiping tears from her eyes. 

When she told him over dinner that he would be starting swimming lessons, Red said nothing. But the second she turned away, he threw a look out the window at the sea beyond the town. Red thought he saw a small humanlike figure dive under the waves.

~~~

Red slipped off his sandals and dipped his legs in the water. It was pretty cold, and Red watched goosebumps move up his legs. He took a breath and pushed off of the land to submerge himself fully in the water.

It had been two and a half years since Red had nearly drowned, and two years since his mother had allowed him to play near the shore again. Since then, Red had gone down to the water everyday and looked for the boy. He’d made up his mind that the boy had saved his life, and Red decided that he needed a thank-you. But the boy was making it really hard for him; Red hadn’t seen him since that day.

Red opened his eyes under the water. The saltwater stung his eyes and he quickly closed them. He made a mental note to ask his mom for goggles at the first chance he got. Red surfaced and took a deep breath, then went back underwater. He swam out a little farther, mindful of his mother’s warnings not to go so far that the currents caught him, and surfaced yet again.

He looked around and saw that he’d passed the big rocks near the shore. He was farther out than he’d ever been before; it felt exciting. Red looked at the open sea, hoping to see something, anything interesting. No luck. The ocean looked empty, aside from a few far-off Magikarp and some Pidgeotto flying through the sky. He took a breath and dove underwater again, going a little deeper this time.

Red liked swimming. He loved the feeling of weightlessness that came with it, like he was suspended in midair. He’d practiced for hours in swimming pools and shallow water so that he could swim without being afraid, and it had all paid off. But he couldn’t hold his breath forever, and his body told him it was time to get more air. Red opened his eyes to look for the surface, but was instead met with curious green eyes.

Red gasped in surprise, and quickly started to choke. Bubbles rose from his mouth. Red kicked and thrust himself upwards, towards air. He surfaced and coughed hard.

“Are you stupid?” said an irritated voice. Red continued to hack and splutter, but he looked up into the face of the boy. It was definitely the same boy from two years ago, but now Red was close enough to examine him better. The boy had tan skin and lots of freckles, especially on his shoulders and all over his face. His hair was a lighter brown than Red remembered, and while it was wet and droopy, it stuck up in several places. The boy fixed him with a disapproving glare.

“Aren’t you the same kid from before? You are, aren’tcha! You almost got killed again! I thought humans were supposed to avoid drowning, or are you _trying_ to wind up dead?”

Red was finally able to stop coughing, and he squinted at the boy angrily. The boy, however, took no notice.

“Who are you, anyway? I’ve seen you come down to the beach everyday, and you swim here too, sometimes. Can’t you swim somewhere else, this is _my_ place. I’m Green, by the way. What’s your name?”

The boy—Green, Red corrected— leaned closer to Red then, examining him. Red blanked out. Not that he was a talkative person in the first place; he’d said no more than a few sentences to everyone in town aside from his mother, even though he’d lived in Pallet Town his whole life. Green looked impatient then, and he tapped on Red’s head lightly.

“Helllooooo? Did you hear me, I asked your name? Man, I was trying to be nice, but you’re making it real tough. I told you my name and everything! I’m not even supposed to talk to humans! And I go and save your life and then—”

“Red. I-it’s Red,” said the boy in question. Whether the stutter was because of how rarely he talked or how overwhelmed he currently felt, Red didn’t know.

Green’s face brightened instantly. “Finally! Red, huh? Our names are pretty similar. At least you’re wearing red, though. I’m not green at all,” he said, and a blue tail broke the water’s surface. 

Red’s eyes grew huge. A _tail._ Green was a mermaid! Or, merboy. He had a tail and everything! Any thoughts of thanking Green vanished from Red’s mind; he was too caught up in the fact that Green had an actual tail.

“You’ve got green eyes, though,” Red said absentmindedly. He kept staring at the tail swishing back and forth in the water.

“Do I?” Green asked, sounding surprised. He touched the skin underneath his eye lightly, then shrugged. Red tilted his head. How could Green not know his eye color?

“Why’re you looking at me like that? How was I supposed to know, I can’t look at my own eyes!” Green said, pouting at Red. Red figured that was a fair point, and let the matter go. He pointed at Green’s tail.

“What?”

“It’s two colors,” Red stated. And it was true. Green’s tail was a mix of light and dark blues, not counting the tail fins, which were a much lighter color than the rest of it. It looked like the lighter colors were on the front of the tail, and the dark colors were on the back of it. Green looked oddly pleased when Red pointed it out.

“It’s gonna get even darker on the back when I grow up,” he said with a smug grin. “Ma said that the color is to keep me safe, or something. So bigger Pokémon can't see me as well. She said they’re gonna get darker when I’m older.”

Red let that sink in. So Green had a mom too. He wondered where she was. He didn’t have to think about it for long; Green frowned.

“She hasn’t been here in awhile,” he said, a little quieter. “She said parents always had to go away, so the kids could grow up.”

Red frowned. “But I have a mom.”

“Well duh, so do I. She’s just not here,” Green snapped back. Red raised his hands in surrender. Green rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Hey, what’s a leg like?”

Without warning, Green dove underwater, and Red nearly got a faceful of tail. He felt Green grab ahold of his leg, and jerked it away in surprise. Green hit his leg in retaliation, and Red huffed. But he kept still and allowed Green to prod and squeeze his leg. Red thought back to the times he’d gone grocery shopping with his mom, and he wondered if this was what the fruits and vegetables felt like when she searched for ripened ones.

Green finally let go of his leg and rose above the water. “What’re those little things on the end of your legs for?”

“Toes?” Red asked. He shrugged. What _were_ toes for, actually? He decided to ask his mom about it.

Speaking of his mom, he heard her call for him at that moment. “Red, it’s dinnertime! Come in now!”

Red shouted an “Okay!” back to her, then turned back to Green, only to find him missing. Red looked around quickly, confused, and saw the boy several feet way, his face half submerged and wearing an expression of fear.

“Don’t tell her I’m here!” Green said when he caught sight of Red’s questioning face. “Ma said not to trust humans, they’re too nosy! Don’t tell _anyone_ I’m here, got it?”

Red nodded slowly. “Okay. But I’m a human, though.”

Green pondered this. Then he nodded towards Red and said, “Yeah, but you’re my friend, too, so you have to keep it a secret. I trust you.”

Friend? Red was his friend? Red gaped like a fish. There weren’t any other kids in Pallet Town, so he didn’t have a friend. And now, not only had he found a mermai—merboy, he’d made friends with him too! Red could only nod his agreement. Green relaxed.

“Cool. See you tomorrow, okay?” With that, Green disappeared underwater, and Red swam back to shore. Dinner was pretty standard, as his mother talked while Red stayed silent. But for once, Red couldn’t pay any attention to his mother’s words, too preoccupied with the new, mysterious friend he’d made.

~~~

Red raced down to the shore and tore off his hat and belt and jacket, then his shirt and pants, leaving only his boxers. Quickly he sat and untied his shoes and threw them off, and his socks followed soon after. Red quickly stuffed them all under a bush and waded into the water. He swam out far enough that he couldn’t be seen from the shore, and then dove underwater. Feeling blindly with his eyes closed, Red swam deeper and deeper until two hands met his own. He smiled and let the hands tug him back upwards, and breathed in the air when he surfaced.

“You seem chipper,” Green remarked with an amused expression as Red breathed. Red grinned wider.

“My birthday’s today,” he said. “And guess what I’ve got now?”

“Lemme guess,” said Green with a flat voice. “A Pokémon. Because you’ve been talking about it nonstop for weeks. Months? A super long time.”

Red stuck his tongue out at Green, who erupted into laughter and ruffled Red’s hair. Red yelped and shoved Green away.

“I’m serious, I’m officially a Pokémon Trainer! Green, this is _huge!”_

“Yeah, I know, you keep telling me. Does that other girl you’re friends with have one too?”

Green was referring to Blue, who had moved to Pallet Town a little over a year ago. She had become fast friends with Red, not one to be discouraged by his shy exterior. Red nodded.

“Yeah, her birthday was a week before mine, but she said she was gonna wait to leave until I’d turned ten too.”

“Shame you were slowing her down. From what you’ve said about her, she’d probably be champion by now if she left when she first got her Pokémon.”

Red laughed at that, because it was probably true. Blue always accomplished whatever she put her mind to, and she’d dreamed of becoming a strong trainer since before Red had known her. Without a doubt, Blue would end up as someone pretty powerful in the future.

“Yeah, well I’m glad. If we didn’t start together, then I’d have no chance of catching up to her. How am I gonna beat her to the championship like that?”

They both fell silent after that. Red tried to think of a conversation topic, but drew a blank. Usually he could count on Green to bring something up; if there was anything he’d learned after years of close friendship and almost daily talks, it was that Green always had something to say or do. Years of friendship had given Red confidence, and he’d been talking more and more to his close friends. They’d spent so many evenings talking about the differences between the human world and living underwater, or their favorite Pokémon, or their daily activities. They’d spent hours swimming in the ocean and having splash fights. Red couldn’t have possibly had a better friend. Lately though, Green had been a little quieter than usual, and it was weird.

Finally, Red tugged on Green’s arm. “Hey, come closer to the shore a little more, I wanna show you something.”

Green looked apprehensive. “Not too close.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t go any farther than the fence over there.”

Red swam back to the shore with Green following behind him, and he left the water while Green hung back. Red rifled through his pile of clothes for a few seconds until he found the Poké Ball, then pulled it off of his belt and held it up for Green to see. He threw it at the ground and watched it roll for a few seconds and open, revealing a blinking Charmander.

“Ta-da!” he said, extending his hands towards the Pokémon. Charmander tilted his head at him, perplexed, until he heard Green snort and turned to look at him. Red approached the shore and sat down with his legs in the water, then picked up Charmander and sat him in his lap.

“C’mon over and take a look,” Red said to Green. Green bit his lip and, with a cautious glance at the shore, swam until he was just a few inches in front of Red. Charmander leaned over to look at Green, but lost his balance and started to fall. Both Red and Green surged forwards to catch him, and their hands overlapped as they steadied the Pokémon. Red could feel Green’s tail against his legs. 

“Careful there, pal,” Green warned Charmander, who let out a happy cry and snuggled into Red’s lap, still watching Green closely. Red smiled and stroked him lovingly.

“We’re setting out tomorrow” he said to Green. Green’s head jerked up, and the fond smile he’d been watching Charmander with faded away. Red frowned. “Everything okay?”

Green stayed silent for several seconds. Red was starting to get seriously worried. Then: “You’re going away.”

“Yeah,” Red said, not understanding what was wrong.

“I can’t go with you,” Green continued.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh,’” Green rolled his eyes. His expression was still upset, though. “You’re gonna go all the way across Kanto and see a bunch of people and Pokémon, and I’m not gonna see any of it. I don’t even have a Pokémon, and I can’t get on land and travel with you. I’m just gonna be stuck here.”

Red stopped stroking Charmander. God, how could he be so stupid? He hadn’t thought about Green at all in regards to his upcoming adventure; of course his friend couldn’t come with him. But what could they do? He didn’t want to leave Green all by himself, but he didn’t want to abandon Blue and his journey either. Green swam up beside Red and crossed his arms over the spot next to where he sat.

“I don’t wanna just be left here for the next two or three years and not know what you’re doing. I don't wanna be left behind again.”

That settled it, Red decided. He couldn’t leave Green like this. Red moved Charmander off his lap despite his protests and stood. He searched through his things yet again, and this time pulled out a large map.

“Here,” he said, handing it to Green. “This way, you don’t have to be all alone.”

“What does all this mean?” asked Green as he stared at the map. Red pointed to the dot representing Pallet Town.

“That’s my home, we’re here right now,” he said. Then he dragged his finger across the map to Cerulean City. “And that’s the next place I’m going that you can get to by sea. So if you make it here, I’ll be sure to meet you.”

Green snapped his head upwards. “You’re giving me this so we can meet?!”

Red punched his shoulder lightly. “I’m giving you this so we can travel together. Sort of.”

Green gaped at Red. “But— don’t, don’t you need this? What if you get lost, or you don’t know where to go next? What if—”

“Green, I’ve been studying that map for so long I’ve basically got it memorized,” laughed Red. “It’s yours.”

Before he could register it, Red was being seized and pulled into the water. He barely had time to yelp before he was submerged and engulfed by Green’s arms in a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you—”

It was weird to hear Green speak underwater. It still sounded like words, but they were very muted and bubbly. Red wrapped his arms around Green and squeezed him back. It was the first time they’d ever hugged, he realized.

Green apparently sensed Red running out of air, and he brought them back up. Red shook hair out of his eyes. Charmander called out to them from the shore and Red turned to him with a grin and a thumbs up.

The sun was setting by that point, and Red knew he had to get home before his mom grew worried. He hoisted himself out of the water again and pulled all of his clothes back on. It was uncomfortable since his body was still wet, but it would only be until he got home. Red recalled Charmander to his Poké Ball and crouched next to Green at the water’s edge.

“So…”

“So, this is it, then.”

Red shook his head. “No, we’re meeting up later, remember? You still know where?”

“Cerulean,” Green recited.

“Then we’re set.” Red extended his hand to Green. The merboy looked at it for a few seconds, then accepted the hand. Red squeezed Green’s hand tightly.

“Stay safe.”

“Don’t let Blue wipe the floor with you.”

Red laughed. Green kept a neutral face, but even he started to break down. They shared a final smile before Red jumped over the fence towards his home. He turned and held up his hand in a wave. Green waved back before disappearing. Red looked back towards town and breathed in deeply. His journey was finally about to start. He was ready.

~~~

“Oh wooow!” Blue said as she looked out over the water. Red smiled and leaned on the railing next to where his Pidgeotto was perched. He’d met up with Blue again after arriving in Cerulean City, and they’d decided to head out towards Route 25 together. Red was ecstatic to find the ocean again; Green had to be nearby.

“Red, isn’t this gorgeous? Look at the waves, they’re sparkling! I wonder if there’s any really good Pokémon out there?”

Red let her talk without interrupting. He was focused on searching the waves for a glimpse of brown hair. Of course, it was doubtful that Green would show himself here if there were other humans around, but it didn’t stop Red from looking.

Eventually Blue decided to go and meet with the Pokémon researcher who lived nearby for a chat, and then head back to town. She kissed Red’s cheek and waved goodbye, and then he was alone. Red waited several minutes before climbing over the railing and sliding down the cliff to the edge of the water. Unfortunately he misjudged the angle of the cliff and tripped, beginning to tumble. He landed on his butt in the water, which was a few inches deep. He gasped in pain and rubbed the spot he fell on. Pidgeotto cooed in concern as she landed on his knee. Red gave her a little smile and stroked her feathers. All of a sudden he heard loud laughter coming from the deeper water.

Red perked up. His smile widened and he made to stand. Pidgeotto hopped off his knee onto a nearby rock, looking quite concerned as Red threw down his belt and hat before running into the water up to his knees.

“Greeeeen!” he yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. Not a second later, Green’s head popped up from the waves. He was still laughing.

“You’re such an idiot,” he said between laughs. “I don’t see you for a month, and _this_ is the first thing you do after we meet up.”

Red started to pout. “Yeah, the first time we see each other after a month and you make fun of me right off the bat. Screw you, I’m out.”

Red turned and pretended to leave, but Green only laughed more. Red broke and started to laugh too. He pulled off his jacket and tossed it back towards before moving to deeper water. Green met him halfway, and Red pulled him into a hug.

“Been awhile, huh?” Green said.

“No kidding.”

“Oh, hey, I’ve got news,” Green said, pulling away from Red. He dug into a sack that was slung over one shoulder and produced a Poké Ball from it.

“Woah, where’d you get that?” Red asked. Green smirked.

“I caught it. I guess there’s a lot of trainers with bad aim, ‘cuz a lot of brand-new Poké Balls end up in the water and get washed away. So, I grabbed a few and tried catching something. And I got this!”

Green tossed the ball in the air, and it opened to reveal a Squirtle. The Squirtle landed in the water with a splash. Red watched it retract into its shell, then slowly peek out at him. It was pretty cute.

“I’ve had him for about a week,” Green said as he watched Squirtle with a soft grin. Red thought that was pretty cute too. “I’m gonna train him and catch other Pokémon, and we’re gonna fight you and win. Got it?”

Red raised his eyebrows. “That’s a pretty big goal. Think you can do it?”

Green raised his chin. “Of _course_ I can do it. Just don’t fall behind, alright? I’d hate to leave you in my dust.”

“That’s a lie, and you know it.”

“True. I’ll pass you and say ‘smell ya later’ because you stink so bad at training.”

Red’s laughter filled the air.

~~~

“So how many badges you got now?” Green asked as he swam alongside Red, who was riding his Lapras. They were on Route 20. Red was returning to Pallet Town to see his mother and let the Professor take a look at his Pokédex data. It had been over a year since he’d originally left with Charmander.

“Seven,” Red answered. “Only one left, and I can go to the league.”

Green hummed. “I’ve heard it’s crazy tough.” He angled his head up towards Red with raised eyebrows. “You have to be a really, really good trainer.”

“I _am_ a good trainer,” replied Red.

“Oh yeah? Prove it.”

Red told Lapras to stop. He looked down at Green. “I hear a challenge.”

Green ducked underwater. Red stood up on Lapras’s back, scouring the waves for any sight of the boy. The water was still. He could hear the cries of far-off Pokémon.

Then, a Blastoise erupted from the water. Red smiled and tossed his Raichu’s Poké Ball into the air. Raichu landed on Lapras’s head and yawned. Then he saw Blastoise and crouched on all fours, sparks flying from his cheeks. Blastoise roared and shook his head. Red pointed at Blastoise and Raichu jumped into the air.

In the end, Raichu won out. Green recalled Blastoise to his Poké Ball and grumbled about type advantages. Red shrugged.

“Good trainers use types to their advantage.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Green waved off the statement. “Y’know, you’re gonna have to train a lot harder to stand a chance against the league.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Red. “It’s gonna take awhile to get that powerful, though.”

Green bit his lip. Red sat down on Lapras’s back and reached out to touch Green’s shoulder.

“I’ll come back.”

“Duh, I know you will,” Green said, rolling his eyes. He looked a little more relieved to Red, though. “But if you lose, I’m gonna be pissed with you.”

Red snorted. “When aren’t you pissed with me for some reason. _Ow!”_ he said, rubbing his leg where Green hit him.

“I’m trying to wish you luck, jerk!”

“Alright, calm down!”

“And don't forget to take breaks when you're training, and have some days off!”

“What are you, my mom?”

“And don't you dare lose!”

“I'm not gonna!”

_“Good!”_ With that, both boys crossed their arms over their chests. Lapras shook her head in exasperation. Silence stretched over the boys for a few minutes. Red breathed in deeply through his nose. He prodded Green lightly with his foot.

“Hey,” he said. Green glared at him. “Hey, c'mon.”

“Hmm?”

“Tell you what: I'll train hard and beat the Pokémon League, but you gotta cheer me on, okay?”

“...Okay.”

~~~

Worn out tennis shoes squeaked against marble floors. They came to a stop at the entrance to the Pokémon League itself. Their owner adjusted his cap and looked up at the heavy doors. He’d been working towards this moment for nearly three years. Finally, he was nearing the end of his journey. With a deep breath, he entered the first chamber of the Elite Four.

First was Lorelei, user of water and ice type Pokémon. She utilized the ice to trip up the trainer’s Pokémon and immobilize them, but he ultimately brought them down with his Raichu and favored starter Pokémon, Charizard.

Second was Bruno, master of combat. His Pokémon packed hard punches, and the trainer used quick-hitting attacks using his Charizard and Pidgeot to whittle them down. In the end, his patience won out.

Third was the mysterious Agatha and her poison types. They proved to be a formidable challenge for the trainer. His Pokémon suffered poisoning, but their trust in him combined with his care for them allowed them to come out on top.

Fourth was the great dragon tamer, Lance. His formidable dragons seemed to be an impenetrable force for the trainer. His Pokémon gave their all, and they still nearly lost. But a final all-out attack ended in his favor, and the challenger was victorious.

Lance clapped him on the shoulder. “Congratulations, son. You’ve beaten the Elite Four, and you’re almost through the League. However,” Lance turned to face the room behind him, “There’s one more obstacle to overcome. Someone has already achieved the title of Champion, and it’s up to you two to decide the fate of that title.”

Lance healed the trainer’s Pokémon and sent him through the doors. “Good luck.”

The doors closed behind Red. This room was larger than the other four. In the back of the room stood a throne, upon which a girl sat. She looked up at Red and her face brightened.

“Red!” she said as she stood. “I’m so glad you made it this far.”

“Blue,” chuckled Red. “I don’t know why I’m surprised.”

“Me neither. I’m always two steps ahead of you. So, wanna see who’s really the best in Kanto?”

Red tossed Charizard’s Poké Ball into the air. “Thought you’d never ask.”

Blue’s eyes narrowed. “You’re done for, hon.”

The battle raged on for nearly an hour and a half. By the end of it, the trainers were just as exhausted as their Pokémon. Blue’s team was excellently trained, and very obedient. Her Pokémon executed every command with perfect ease. Red was impressed by the connection between them.

Of course, his bonds with his Pokémon were just as strong. His Pokémon pushed themselves to the limit and beyond. Every Pokémon that fell in battle hurt as though it were a physical pain. Red urged his Pokémon to show him what they could do, and boy did they deliver.

Ever so slowly, their Pokémon fainted, one by one by one. And at the end of it, Red was the one left standing. He stumbled on shaky legs into the arms of Charizard and gave it the biggest hug he could manage. Charizard let out a satisfied snort. Tears pricked at the corner of Red’s eyes.

“We did it. We did it, Charizard, we did it!”

Across the room, Blue wiped away her own tears. Her Pokémon had given it their all, and she couldn't have been more proud. She let go of her fallen Venusaur and called him back to his Poké Ball, then stood to greet Red. He turned to her as she approached.

“Amazing job, Red,” she said. “If anyone had to beat me, I'm really glad that it was you.”

“You're a great trainer, Blue, and a great friend,” replied Red. “I wouldn't be here if you hadn't pushed me to get better.”

They shook hands, as opponents do, and hugged, as friends do. Blue led Red into the next room and directed him to place his Pokémon onto the pedestal tomb recorded as a Champion's team.

Red watched the machine pulsate with light. So many people had believed in him, supported him, and he'd gone all the way to the top. Now, it was time to go home. He hadn't seen his mother since he'd started training for the league. And, he had a best friend to share the news with.

“I'll be home soon,” he whispered to himself. “Just a little longer, Green.”

~~~

“Cheating! That’s _cheating,_ Green!” yelled Red. He pounded his fist into the water and created a small splash. Green cackled.

“How’s it cheating if I'm not using anything to help me?”

_“You've got a tail!_ The tail has more surface area, of course it's gonna create a bigger splash!”

“Well, you never said I couldn't use my tail. Anyway, you can't change the rules mid-game, so you're stuck with me and my tail.”

Red didn't feel like dignifying Blue with a verbal response, choosing instead to tackle the boy. They wrestled under the water. Red did his best to drown his best friend, but it sadly didn't seem to have much of an impact. When he surfaced for air, Red slapped his palms against the water and created a decent-sized wave that splashed all over Green. The merboy turned his face to avoid being hit by it head on.

Charizard and Blastoise, both sitting on the shore watching their trainers, were unamused. The rest of their Pokémon were amusing themselves in the water or on the beach.

After winning the championship, Red found himself hounded by reporters near constantly. To a boy so used to being open only with his closest friends and family, the attention was exhausting. He'd even considered escaping up Mount Silver in Johto, until Green pointed out that he couldn't get up there to bother Red if he did. Instead, Green told him about the Sevii Islands, which were small and far from the mainland. He’d be able to keep a low profile there, and keep in touch with Green. Red had thought about it and finally agreed, and found an uninhabited islet to call home.

Red kept creating big waves, not letting up for a second. Green’s laughs grew and grew until he could barely breathe, and only then did Red finally stop. He tackled Green again, this time from behind. It wasn't enough to knock Green over again, but Red did manage to snake his arms around Green’s shoulders so he couldn't be shaken off. 

“Oi, what're you doing?” Green asked, craning his neck to see Red.

“I’m thinking about when we met,” Red said plainly.

“The hell does that mean?”

“I never thanked you for saving me.”

“Red, that was _ages_ ago,” Green said, turning to face Red fully. He was close enough for Red to count every individual freckle across his face. “We’re seventeen now, you forgot to say thank you for ten years?”

Red winced. “Other things came up?”

“You're an idiot,” said Green fondly. There was no malice in the statement; there never was.

“I mean it though. Thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Green acted aloof, but Red noticed that his face was pinker than normal. Red _also_ noticed that Green’s face was very, very close to his own. And also, their chests were nearly touching; Red was wearing only swim shorts and no shirt. And he liked it? 

Green was looking back at Red now. His eyes flickered from Red’s arms, still around his neck, then back to his face. The atmosphere felt very different, all of a sudden.

“Uhh…”

“It… it’s—”

“S-sorry, I’ll just—”

“No! I mean… it’s fine, it’s good— uh—”

Red’s face felt very hot. Green’s skin felt just as warm under his hands. He felt like he should remove his hands, but… Green said it was okay. Good. Whatever that meant. And he kinda didn’t want to? What the _hell._

Red thumbed the back of Green’s neck. He felt Green shiver slightly under his hand. Red breathed in sharply. His eyes met the other boy’s. Green bit his lip.

“Bet I could hold my breath longer than you.”

Red blinked at the words. He didn’t realize that they had left his own mouth until he saw Green’s eyes widen. Red ducked his head in embarrassment.

“...Bet I could hold it longer.”

Red snapped up to look Green in the eye. Green’s face was scarlet, but he looked determined. A hand settled on Red’s waist.

“...Prove it.”

Red was barely through the sentence before he was tugged underwater. Deeper and deeper, Green pulled him under. Then, he stopped.

They were suspended in the blue sea. Red’s eyes stung, but he didn’t dare look away from Green’s gaze. The teen’s light-colored hair flowed through the water. His eyes shone in the light that filtered through the waves.

Bubbles spilled from Red’s mouth as his breath escaped him. Instantly Green surged forwards, closing the distance between them and sealing Red’s lips with his own. His lips were warm. Red threaded his hands through Green’s hair and closed his eyes. He pulled Green as close as he could manage. The grip on Red’s side tightened, and Green placed his other hand on Red’s chin, angling him to the side.

The world felt like it was spinning out of control. Or maybe that was the lack of oxygen; Red didn’t know anymore. He pulled away from Green and pointed upwards. At least, what he assumed was upwards. In any case, Green got the hint, and Red let himself be pulled to the surface. He gasped in the fresh air.

He kissed Green. Green kissed him and he kissed Green back. Red’s chest heaved as he watched the other boy. He thought he could hear his Pokémon whooping in the background.

“I think I won,” Green said. Red squinted at him.

“Cheater,” he mumbled under his breath. Green looked smug.

Red wasted no time kissing the expression right off his face. He really, really hoped he could do more of this in the future.

**Author's Note:**

> As you can see, I'm not keen on battle scenes or sentences without commas. Forgive me.


End file.
